Open Letter to Whomever Buys Billings' Time Capsule House

Scrolling mindlessly through Facebook land today, I stumbled across this post:

I'm a Realtor in my spare time, and this post really caught my attention. I just had to look at the pictures. And OMG... am I SO glad I did. I thought I'd help out in this cause. I may not have an in with the Real Estate Gods, but I talk to people for a living, so I thought I'd do what I do best.

Dear Potential Buyer of the Billings Time Capsule Home,

This home is a gem. While the exterior of the home looks fairly normal, the interior is like you stepped back in time. Way back. This house at 1233 Howard Avenue in Billings was built in 1955. And from the pictures, it appears that very little has been touched since. Like, almost nothing. And it's in amazing shape. Like your grandmother's crystal stemware, please don't touch it.

I care so much about this house I reached out to Cheryl Burrows, the listing agent with Berkshire Hathaway HS Floberg to ask her a few questions about this vintage home in nearly perfect condition. She said almost everything is original and the owners took impeccable care of their house. The carpets are original. Most of the drapes and window treatments are original. Under the carpeting is hardwood flooring that has never been exposed. Impeccable. Those are high standards. Let's hope you're up to the task.

The upstairs kitchen stove/oven, featuring dual ovens and slide out range are original and still work. Very high-end in 1955. In fact, this five-bedroom, two bath, 2146 sq. foot house was likely top of the line when it was built. You can view all of the listing details here. The house has been updated with a few things over the years. Furnace and central air are relatively new. I'm sure the roof has been replaced (many times) over the past 65 years. The home has been on the market for over two years, so maybe you'd like to make an offer?

But keep in mind, I agree with the Facebook poster, and there are probably more of us out there too. We hope that whoever buys this house doesn't gut it and make it totally generic. Like most new or flipped houses on the market that all feature granite countertops, "open concept" kitchen, generic grey/beige paint and matching grey beige carpeting. Let Billings have some character. Be the person with the insanely awesome house and then host lots of parties. Nobody wants to visit another cookie-cutter house. Besides, you wouldn't want to waste all that money on renovations (and there would have to be many) would you? Of course not.

Sincerely,

Michael